Monday, March 17, 2014

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

ISBN: 9780007442911
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Series: Divergent #2
Goodreads  |  Amazon
**This review may contain spoilers for the Divergent. For a spoiler-free review of Divergent, click here**

     SYNOPSIS:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
     REVIEW:

Insurgent and I kind of have a funny history. I actually DNFed when it first came out a couple of years ago. It had been almost a year between finishing Divergent and the release date of Insurgent and I had basically forgotten all of the important stuff that happened in Divergent. So when I picked up Insurgent and felt a little lost, and frankly, a little bored, I gave up on the series altogether (I know, my pre-blogger self was pretty harsh).

Upon re-reading Divergent, I remembered what I liked so much about the story the first time around, and quickly began reading Insurgent. Honestly, and in my defense, I can see why I was a little bored with it last time. Though last time I barely got 50 pages in before quitting, so I guess it didn't really get a fair shot. I pushed through the kind of boring beginning and once the group was out of the Amity compound, things got really interesting.

Roth opened up a bit more with her world-building this time around. Not only do we get to see the Amity compound, but we get a look at the Candor, whom I find absolutely fascinating, and their compound, and a glimpse at some of the others. I find the factions in general to be really unique and I love how Roth shows us even more about them as the story goes on.

Though I did really enjoy this book, it was definitely my least favorite of the three. Tris began to get annoying about halfway through the book when she kept putting herself in bad situations while knowing there may not be a way out. I did feel as though Tris was more real and relatable in this one, though. In Divergent, I just couldn't believe that after being raised Abnegation that Tris could be so cold and uncaring toward others, and it was a real turn off for me. In Insurgent, she was dealing with a lot of difficult feelings and though she wasn't the strong, capable Tris we'd grown to love, she was still dealing with things in a real way, and I really respect Roth for that. For sometimes making difficult decisions or making a character act in a way that is real but not necessarily a character the fans will love.

There were so many twists and turns in this book and it really did keep my on my toes. However, while the plot was ever changing, the pace of the book was a little slower than I would've liked. Really though, while I found the pace a bit slow at times, Roth's writing is amazing and beautiful, and her prose more than made up for the pace.

Let's talk about the ending of Insurgent. Okay, not about what actually happened, but the fact that I was pretty confused even though I had re-read the last chapter several times to try to get a better grasp on what was going on. I had to ask some friends and fellow bloggers to reassure me that this was normal. I didn't want to go into Allegiant while missing something big and important. Turns out I wasn't missing anything and it was totally okay to be confused because what happened after was ever crazier. But I still loved it!

RATING: ★★★★ 1/2


Overall, I really loved Insurgent and literally picked up Allegiant immediately after finishing it... well after I re-read the ending a few times first. More than anything, I love Roth's writing style and a big part of my love for this series is because of her beautiful, poetic way of telling a story.

What did you think of Insurgent? Did you love it like I did? Also, the Divergent movie comes out this week! How many of you are going to see it on Thursday night!? Let's talk - tell me what you think!?

A.

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A.